Rewari, February 17
Close on the heels of the arrest of constable Shakunt Raj and the rejection of the Station House Officer Balwant Singh Yadav’s application for anticipatory bail in a case of custodial death (of one Naresh Kumar, at the Rohrai Police Station on February 7), another alleged criminal act of the duo has come to light.

In fact, both SHO Balwant Singh Yadav and constable Shakunt Raj, along with two others, would take the stand as accused in a case of rape. They have been summoned by Rewari’s Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mrs Bimlesh Tanwar, on April 12.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the CJM’s court by a young married woman, who happens to be the wife of a CRPF jawan and hails from Rampuri village, she was visiting Rewari on an errand when one Dr Krishan Kumar, a resident of Kosli, took her to one Ram Kishan, an employee of the LIC. The duo took her to a room, allegedly administered her sleeping pills in tea, after which they allegedly took turns in raping her.

Dr Krishan Kumar reportedly took her back to Jatusana, where she was kept all night at the police station and allegedly raped by the police personnel. At that time, Balwant Singh Yadav was the Station House Officer of Jatusana Police station and constable Shakunt Raj was also posted there. All this transpired on July 4, 2001.

Since the victim was out all night, next morning her worried father-in-law, Kundal Lal Lambardar, went to Jatusana Police Station to lodge a report. But to his shock, he found his daughter-in-law lying there in a sorry state. She related her tale of woe to her father-in-law and the two of them tried to get a complaint lodged against the police personnel, but to no avail.

The news of the sexual assault reached her husband, Mahavir Singh, who is posted in Assam. He immediately rushed to Rampuri and, along with the elders of the Village, petitioned the District Police Chief, at whose behest finally a case (FIR No. 72, dated 24.7.2001) of rape, kidnapping, cheating and criminal intimidation under Section 420, 363, 376 and 506 of the IPC was lodged at the Jatusana police station.

However, only names of Dr Krishan Kumar and Ram Kishan were mentioned as accused. The names of the police personnel, who also sexually assaulted the victim, were omitted for reasons best known to the authorities. To cap it, the Jatusana Police later made an attempt to have the entire FIR spiked in the court, on the ground that the woman’s complaint was “false”.

But before things went that way, the aggrieved woman filed a criminal complaint in the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, who has now summoned the two police personnel, along with the two others, as accused in the case of rape.

Now, two more charges – wrongful confinement and act committed by several persons in furtherance of common intention – have also been added to the FIR under Sections 420, 363, 376 and 506 of the IPC.

New Delhi, February 17
The Census Commissioner of India and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee are heading for a showdown on the Sikh census issue in the Capital with the apex census body threatening to sue the DSGMC for carrying out its own sample survey.

The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mr J K Banthia, has threatened to take legal action if the DSGMC does not refrain from undertaking the Sikh census in the Capital.

Stating that the “irresponsible action” of the DSGMC has “caused undue harm to the image and reputation of the census organisation”, Mr Banthia asked the DSGMC to “withdraw the misleading statement issued through posters, otherwise this office would be forced to take recourse to legal action for
disrupting the census organisation.”

In a letter to the DSGMC president, Mr Avtar Singh Hit, the Census Commissioner said: “Your action of launching a survey in spite of our clarification, as a primary source of data producer of religion, is to say the least not only highly irrational but is an attempt to mislead the general public.”

Mr Banthia has given time to the DSGMC till Friday to reply to the request and accede to the demand.

However, the DSGMC has decided to continue with its own headcount in the Tilak Nagar municipal ward, which began on February 1 and is expected to continue till the end of this month. The final headcount figures of the ward would be available only in March end.

The DSGMC has printed 10,000 questionnaire forms, which are being filled up. The committee has also pasted posters in the ward stating – `Sikhs beware, your identity is at stake’ – in a move to bring about awareness about the census operation and its importance. The Singh Sabha, too, has been educating the members of the community about the importance of the census process.

The convenor of the DSGMC Census Fact-finding Committee, Mr Manjit Singh Greater Kailash, said: “We would continue with our headcount as our act is not illegal and there is nothing unconstitutional about it.”

He said the DSGMC had petitioned various authorities, including the Census Commissioner of India, voicing fears about the under representation of the Sikh community in the Capital.

“Five months after we knocked on the doors of all forums to ascertain the right position, we began the process of carrying out the headcount with one municipal ward as a test case,” he said.

Mr Manjit Singh said, “The Census Commissioner should have convened a meeting with the DSGMC members and clarified the position.”

“As custodian of Sikh interest in the Capital, it is the duty of the DSGMC to ascertain the fact and, so, we undertook the process of headcount by engaging a private enumeration firm,” he said.

In the 1991 Census, Sikhs were 4.52 lakhs out of the 94 lakh population of the Capital, making it the single largest group out side Punjab. In Census 2001, out of Delhi’s total population of 1.33 crore, the Sikhs are said to be 599,557, Muslims 1,338,297 and Christians 117,701.The official community census figures are likely to be available by July 2002. It took four years for the community census figures to be made available after the 1991 Census. The Census Fact-finding Committee had expressed concern about the under-representation of the community in Delhi, as the largest concentration of Sikhs outside Punjab is here in the city.

Ghaziabad, February 17
The public might have forgotten that the notorious jehadi terrorist, Sheikh Omar, the alleged kidnapper of US journalist Daniel Pearl, had been arrested in 1994 by the Ghaziabad Police on the charge of kidnapping four foreign nationals. Before his arrest, he was shot in the arm in an encounter.

Recalls the Inspector General of UP Police and the then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ghaziabad, A K Jain: ``When we began interrogating him, he displayed a hysterical commitment to jehad. To stop us from questioning him about his plans, he crashed his shoulder against the walls of the interrogation room”.

After the police placed his arm in a splint, Omar was again interrogated. But before the police could get anything substantial out of him, Omar again crashed his shoulder into the wall of the interrogation room.

Then, he used the acute pain that he must have felt as a ruse to avoid further interrogation. He was eventually taken to hospital for treatment. According to the IG, Omar had kidnapped American tourist Bella Joseph Nuss and three Britons from a Connaught Place hotel to secure the release of Maulana Masood Azhar, the Jaish-e-Muhammad chief, who was lodged in Jammu prison.

The British nationals were kept in a house in Saharanpur while Nuss was kept in the house of one Sufi Anwar Ahmad of Mussoorie. Masood Azhar was subsequently released by the Government of India in 1999 in exchange for hostages of IC-814 flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi, which had been hijacked to Khandhar.

Four years after the incident, a Ghaziabad court gave its ruling in the case on November 1998: Sheikh Omar was sentenced to two years imprisonment under Section 332 and 427 of the IPC; also a
penalty of Rs 5,000 was imposed on him.

Two other accused in the same case – Mohammad Sayeedd and Abdul Raheem – were also awarded two years
imprisonment under section 353 and 553 of the IPC, respectively. Abdul Raheem was separately awarded punishment of five years under the Foreigners Act while the two other accused, Shahzad Beg and Obedullah, were acquitted by the court.

Jhajjar, February 17
Development activities are often carried out purely on political considerations. A glaring instance of the aforesaid is Sector-6 in the industrial township of Bahadurgarh. There are 14 park sites in this residential sector, developed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority, besides 16 corner spaces, all lying idle and in a dilapidated condition.

While these sites have been crying for attention for a long time, the HUDA has undertaken another big project, dubbed the Choudhary Devi Lal Park, ostensibly “to keep the political mentors in good humour”.

The work on this park, spread over 15 acres along National Highway no 10, is continuing at a breakneck speed. Initially, the cost of the project was pegged at Rs 80 lakh, which has almost doubled now. The Town and Planning, Mr Dhir Pal, had laid the foundation stone of the park on May 25 last year and it is likely to be inaugurated in March this year.

Another startling fact is that as per HUDA rules there is provision for only two parks in one sector. In this respect, Sector 16 has a problem of plenty with as many as 14 park sites and 16 corner spaces, though it is the residents’ misfortune that not a single park has been developed and maintained since the locality come into being.

Mr Satish Goyal, a resident, pointed out that these sites have now turned into havens for pigs and stray animals, which frolic all day in the debris. The residents are now using these green lungs as garbage dumps. “These sites, located in the interior, were more easily accessible than the proposed Devi Lal Park being developed along the highway, far away from the suburban area,” Mr Goyal stressed, adding that such `inspired’ decisions catered to the whims of politicians and not the common man.

Moreover, around 700 trees of Safeda along the highway had been axed, thus shearing the area of its green canopy, to clear the site for the proposed park which has features like water channels, foot-bridges, play equipment, shelters and different kinds of fountains. Well-placed official sources informed this correspondent that the district administration had objected to the indiscriminate uprooting of trees at that time, but could do little to save them. The residents contend that had the amount been spent on the other neglected park sites, the sectors would have got a much-needed facelift. It is pointed out that a site along the highway would not be too popular due to the traffic on the highway and the resultant pollution.

However, when contacted, Mr D.K. Soni, Senior Engineer, HUDA, Rohtak, said that the sites were in different stages of development and work would be initiated on them too as per the local requirement. He, however, failed to explain why there were 14 park sites in one residential sector.

He argued that the Devi Lal Park has its own utility value and it would help beautify the township.

The HUDA officials engaged in the Devi Lal project told this correspondent that the estimated cost had now increased to Rs 1.50 crore; almost 90 per cent of the work on one portion of the park was complete while the other portion is also being developed at great speed.

Sonepat, February 17
The Rai Police have arrested five armed youth while they were planning to burgle a petrol pump on National Highway No 1 near Biswan Meel, about 15 km from here last night.

Superintendent of Police, Mr Paramjit Singh Ahlawat, told mediapersons that the arrested youth have been identified as Pawan, a resident of Sikka Colony, Sonepat, Bijender alias Balla and Jaipal, both residents of Devipura, Dharminder alias Sanjay of Juan village and Mohammad Yushif of Meerut. The police, he said, also recovered a country made pistol, a cartridge, a knife, iron rods and a Maruti car (D L 2 C/9591) from their possession.

Giving
details of the arrests, the SP disclosed that the Station House Officer of the Rai police station had been tipped of that the group was sitting in a car at a deserted spot near Biswan Meel and planning to burgle a petrol pump.

The police party, he said, immediately swung into action and organised a `nakabandi.’ The youth were challenged and asked to surrender; when they resisted, the police overpowered them. All the arrested youths, he claimed, were members of an inter-state gang of dacoits.

The accused, during interrogation, confessed to their involvement in 20 cases of auto thefts. The police has recovered six cars allegedly stolen by the gang from various parts of Haryana, Delhi and U.P.

According to the SP, the gang would purchase old cars, replace the engine and chassis of the stolen car, and then sell them in the market. They would also replace the registration number before palming off the cars to unsuspecting buyers. Further investigation is on.

New Delhi, February 17
The Centre today banned noise-related construction activities after 10 pm in the National Capital Territory of Delhi with immediate effect. A notification amending the Building Bye-laws, 1983 to this effect was issued by the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, an official statement here said.

The notification further stipulated that “the mulba (debris) during the construction will be removed on a weekly basis”. “If the same is not done, in that case, the local body shall remove the mulba and the cost shall be borne by the owner of the plot,” the notification said.

During construction, the owner must screen the construction site properly from the main road by erecting a screen wall not less than eight feet in height from the ground level, which is to be painted to avoid an unpleasant look from the road side. In addition, a net or some other protective material should be hoisted at the facade of the building to ensure that any falling material remains within the protected area, the notification said.

In case of plots above 418 sq m area, stacking of building material shall be done within the plot area. An undertaking to the effect that the owner would not stack the material on government land would be submitted at the time of submission of application for sanction of building plans, the notification added.

Sonepat, February 17
Believe it or not, the police produced an accused before the court, but left him for good outside the complex despite the judge remanding him to judicial custody. Tired of waiting for the cops, the accused himself went to the district jail but was refused “admission” without valid orders from the court. The amusing incident occurred yesterday after a jeep driver, Narinder Singh, was arrested by the Kharkhauda Police for allegedly giving a fake note to the salesman of a petrol station. The cops produced the accused before the Judicial Magistrate here who remanded him to the judicial custody. However, the police officials left him in the court premises and returned to the police station without bothering to lodge him in the district jail. The driver kept loitering in the judicial complex for several hours. Finally, he gave up on his custodians, marched into the court of the judicial magistrate and narrated his ordeal. Thereupon, the Kharkhauda Police was informed and he was duly lodged in the district jail.

Doctor absconding

Faridabad: The death of a four-year-old boy, undergoing treatment at a private clinic in Hodal town in the district, provoked the residents of the area to gherao the clinic yesterday. The gherao was lifted after the police intervened and lodged a case against the physician. According to reports, the child, identified as Praveen, died soon after he was given an injection by the doctor at the clinic located at Anaj Mandi. The doctor is reportedly absconding.
TNS

New Delhi, February 17
Even municipal sweepers manage to terrorise the average Indian more than Osama bin Laden, says social activist Madhu Kishwar. Ms Kishwar is representing the cause of thousands of street vendors and hawkers who are perennially fleeced by the employees of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the police.

Ms Kishwar told ‘NCR Tribune’ that MCD officials were threatening to demolish a model market created by street vendors in Seva Nagar. The vendors, as apart of the Manushi Nagrik Adhikar Manch, have set up two model markets in Seva Nagar and the CGO Complex. However, it is alleged that the MCD demolished the market in the CGO Complex on the pretext of security reasons and has now threatened to demolish the second one in Seva Nagar.

“These model markets have been planned well; they are not causing any kind of inconvenience to the people. These vendors pay Rs 60 a month to municipal sweepers for cleaning the area. However, the sweepers do not do their work. The vendors themselves clean the place. The trouble that is being created there is because of the touts, who have been deliberately flouting norms. The vendors who have been uprooted from the CGO Complex market are unemployed; they have nowhere to go. And the vendors in Seva Nagar market are anticipating similar fate for themselves if the MCD goes ahead with its plans of demolishing this model market,” said Ms Kishwar.

On December 19, 2001, the hawkers and vendors in the Capital’s Seva Nagar performed a pooja albeit with a difference. Alongside Ganapati, Lakshmi and Saraswati was placed a jadhu (broom). The special pooja saw participation from a Hindu priest and a maulvi, who helped perform the pooja and also blessed the vendors who were to embark on a new beginning.

“These vendors started to work on a new platform. This ceremony was to mobilise the vendors and resolve themselves to free them from the parasitic hold of the police, municipal authorities and other government agencies that harass and fleece them,” pointed out Ms Kishwar.

The Seva Nagar model market has been planned in association with the IIT Delhi, School of Planning and Architecture and an NGO, Asmita.

According to Ms Kishwar the vendors also decided upon a sanyam rekha or a line of self-discipline and collected a sum of Rs 500 for the initial corpus required to improve the sanitation in the area. However, touts and anti-social elements began threatening the vendors against joining the self-regulation drive and encouraged them to place their redis (vends) in the middle of the road. They began to encourage chaos and this, in turn, gave the MCD officials and the police to collect whatever they demanded.

“We have approached the high court for a stay order on the removal of these redis and against confiscation of goods. Currently, each hawker is paying Rs 450 a month for using a 200 watt bulb for about three hours. We want regularisation of electricity connection. We want the government to help us in promoting such markets so that we can promote employment,” adds Ms Kishwar.

For now, the vendors of the Seva Nagar market are reeling under the threat of demolition. “We have been threatened that if we do not pack up and leave the market, they will come and demolish everything on Monday. On one hand, the government is talking about Bhagidari, here we are volunteering for that, but all that we have got in return is threats. These contradictory features of the government are puzzling,” points out Ms
Kishwar.

New Delhi, February 17
Economical and financial independence is a must for women empowerment and this could be achieved only if women can take care of their health properly, the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit has said. She was speaking after launching the `Stree Shakti’ project of the state government for women empowerment at Khichripur in East Delhi.

She said the project under the Bhagidari scheme had been launched in all the nine districts of the Capital. It is a capacity building project through Bhagidari with NGOs to empower women, especially those belonging to the economically weaker sections, with an aim at strengthening their ability to participate fully in the mainstream.

The project has prioritised the first instance areas for intervention, which significantly influence the process of empowerment of women, like health, literacy and income generation.

In the first step, the emphasis is on healthcare of women and the girl child through health cards, being issued at the various health awareness camps. This would entitle the cardholder special preference in government hospitals and also through the special counters.

Stating that the government was committed to the women empowerment, the Chief Minister said the project would reach the doorsteps of the target group of those between 14 to 45 years of age within a period of two years.

The programme envisages an effective co-relation of the health and skill enhancement activities with employment and economic packages of the government.

The NGOs will monitor the post-camp service being rendered by the agencies and their evaluation will be passed on to the government for further analysis and fine tuning of the project for the future camps.

Sonepat, February 17
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has criticised the Congress and other Opposition parties for allegedly misleading the people of the state by making false promises to them in a bid to capture power again.

Talking to mediapersons here last evening, he said that it was unfortunate that those who ruled the state for a long period failed to provide even basic amenities to the people. He also criticised the former Chief Ministers, Mr Bansi Lal and Mr Bhajan Lal, for not taking any interest in the development of the state. He claimed that the traders were badly affected, industrial units had started shifting from the state and there was no law and order during their tenure.

The Chief Minister claimed that the work on all the announcements made by him under the first phase of “Sarkar Aapke Dwar” programme had been completed. Similarly, the work on other programmes and measures announced by him during the second phase of the programme was in progress.

He said that the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) government was determined to provide basic civic amenities without any discrimination in the state. He was committed to make Haryana the number one state of the country, which was the dream of late Chaudhary Devi Lal, former Deputy Prime Minister, he said.

Referring to the Yamunanagar assembly by-election, Mr Chautala said that the people there knew too well that a lot of development works had been undertaken during the past two-and-a-half years.

He also promised that he would do so much development work in the state in general and Yamunanagar in particular that people would forget the name of the Congress and other Opposition parties in the coming days.

Mr Chautala assured the people that his government was determined to ensure free and fair elections because it had full faith in democracy. He hoped that the INLD candidate would win the election by a huge margin.

Mr Devi Raj Dewan, an independent MLA, claimed that the INLD government got a boost in its electioneering and the party would win the by-election by defeating the Congress and other party candidates.

Noida, February 17
Most of the telephones in the Greater Noida area have gone dead for many days now. Thanks to the indifference of the telecom staff, no efforts have been made to restore the service in spite of repeated complaints by the affected subscribers. According to reliable sources, about 300 to 400 telephones in the area are dead.

While computerising the telecom department, the authorities had advised the public to register their complaints at telephone No 198. However, the complaints made at this number have not evoked any response from the telecom department. Many subscribers said that registering their complaints on 198 had become a daily routine but without any desired result.

Since the exchange is situated inside the NEPZ boundary, subscribers are not allowed inside to lodge complaints personally. The subscribers are told to come after 3 pm, and when they reach after 3 pm, almost the telecom officials would not be in their seats as they would have left for the day, many subscribers say.

They say the officials are avoiding them deliberately. However, they restore the connections of those who grease the palm of the officials, people allege. Others have to suffer for weeks. Subscribers allege that the line staff are also harassing them.

Hundreds of telephones in Haldwani, Jalpura, Kulesera, Habibpur, Suthyana, Baidpur, Lakhanawali, Surajpur, Gulistanpur, Khoda and some other villages have been dead for many days. At many places, the underground telecom cables have been broken due to the development work being undertaken by the Greater Noida Authority, it is alleged.

Faridabad, February 17
A 40-year-old woman was stabbed to death allegedly by a youth in Jawahar Colony area here yesterday. The accused fled after the crime.

The deceased has been identified as Kulmati, wife of a watchman residing in a workshop owned by one Ranjit Singh hailing from Punjab. It is learnt that Ranjit Singh’s son, Sarabjeet alias Deepa, had been annoyed with the decision of his father to allot a vacant plot to the watchman, Ram Naresh, who had been living there for the past 10 years with his family.

While Ranjit Singh was out of town yesterday, Sarabjeet went to the workshop and asked the woman to vacate the premises. When she said that it was impossible till the owner of the workshop comes, the youth took out a knife and allegedly stabbed her six times. She died on the spot. While the police have booked a case under Section 302 of the IPC, the angle of ‘illicit relations’ behind the cause of the murder could not be ruled out, according to the police sources.

Staff suspend strike

The agitating staff of the Municipal Committee, Hodal, have suspended their 13-day-old strike in view of the assurance given by the district authorities to release the pending salaries soon.

According to a spokesman of the Nagarpalika Karamchari Sangh, the decision was taken after a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Arun Kumar, recently. He said that Mr Kumar had asked them to provide a time period of 20 days to
fulfill their main demand of release of wages pending for about four months. He said that while the salary of one month would be released shortly, the remaining amount would be given after some gap.

He said that the Deputy Commissioner had accepted another demand of regularising services of the employees, who had completed three years of service. If their demands were not met in the given time period, they were free to restart the agitation, they were told.

Cyclist crushed

Jhajjar
A cyclist was crushed to death by a speeding truck on the Jhajjar road on the outskirts of Dighal
village last evening. The deceased, identified as Dayachand, was returning to his house in Lakaria village along with his brother after closing their shops on the Dighal-Sampla road when a truck (HRR-7630) loaded with sugarcane, coming in full speed, crushed him under its wheels. In a complaint lodged with the district police, the brother of the deceased, Kanwal Singh, said that he took his brother to the Medical College at Rohtak, where he was declared brought dead. The driver of the truck escaped under the cover of darkness. The police have registered a case under Sections 279 and 304 A of the IPC.

Minor girl traced

The district police today claimed to have traced the minor girl, who had reportedly ‘eloped’ with a youth, Sunil Kumar of Ahari village. Sunil Kumar had lured the girl and fled with her on Wednesday. A district Police spokesman said that the father of the accused, Hoshiar Singh, handed the suspect over along with the girl to the police. Later, the girl was restored to her parents after a medical examination.

Wages demanded

Sonepat
Mr Ram Diya Satewal, president of the District Brick Kiln Mazdoor Vikas Sangh, today urged the state government to take immediate and effective steps for ensuring minimum wages and facilities to the brick kiln workers in the district.

In a press statement, he said that the Labour Department authorities had failed to enforce the labour laws effectively in the brick kilns, as a result of which the workers were being denied the wages in accordance with the Minimum Wages Act.

Meanwhile, the licences of eight brick kilns have been suspended in the district as they had failed to implement the provisions of the labour laws.

Structures razed

The demolition squad of the district and civic administration demolished several unauthorised structures along the Atlas road here today. According to a report, the Executive Officer of the Sonepat Municipal Council led the demolition squad to clear the public land from encroachments.

A small portion of the encroached land of a mosque, built without any prior permission from the authorities concerned, was vacated by the offender, Mr Maqbool Ahmad, a shopkeeper. He had built the mosque on the public land and vacated it on the request of the administration.

The mosque, it may be recalled, was originally built on the Wakf land in 1973 and it was expanded in 1996 by constructing another structure on the public land, which was voluntarily vacated by the illegal occupants.

However, the action of the administration was hailed by the shopkeepers and the residents of the area, as they got a path, which was closed about five years ago by the persons.

Fire in shops

Mystery shrouds the fire that broke out in four shops simultaneously on the Sonepat-Rohtak road here last night. According to a report, these shops were located just near the city police station. The cause of the fire and the estimated loss were still being ascertained.

Driver killed

Sumer, a driver of a canter, was killed on the spot and the cleaner, Mukesh, sustained serious injuries when two wheels of the canter got separated and overturned on the G.T road near Bahalgarh Chowk, about 10 km from here, yesterday. According to a report, the canter was on its way from Panipat to Delhi. The injured was immediately hospitalised and is state to be out of danger.

New Delhi, February 17
The Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police claimed to have unearthed a racket by which cement meant for the MCD works was smuggled with the arrest of five persons today. The police also seized 2,692 bags of cement after raiding two premises in Sangam Vihar.

The accused were found selling the MCD cement meant only for the use of the corporation under different brands.

The police are also looking into the role of factories, as the cement, which was only meant for the use of the corporation, found its way into private godowns. Now, the cops are trying to establish the nexus of MCD officials, contractors and transporters in this alleged racket.

Nawab Khan alias Nabi, the leader of the racket, Om Vir Singh, Mehboob (partners) and his two sons, Mohim Khan and Shamsher Khan, were found involved in the illegal trade.

During the raid at their godown, the police seized 1,746 bags of 33 and 53 grade cement of various reputed companies like Ambuja Cement, Shri Cement, Vikram
Cement, Birla Chetak and Laxmi Cement. Besides, there were also 1,635 cement bags mentioned “MCD supply, Not for Sale.” As many as 210 brand new spurious empty cement bags of Ambuja 53 grade cement and two funnels used for transferring the cement from one bag to another were also seized.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that since the MCD cement, 33 grade, had no value in the market, they used to transfer it into the bags of 53 grade cement with the help of the transporter, Gyan Khattar. Then the cement, which is sold for Rs 90, would be sold at Rs 120. The accused persons had also employed six labourers from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Four looters held:

The PCR personnel of South-West zone nabbed four persons, who allegedly tried to escape after looting Rs 5,000 from a person returning from the Central Bank of India, yesterday.

All the four accused, Manoj alias Monu, Joginder, Subhash Chand, all residents of Palam, and Salvinder alias Raju, resident of Kailash Puri, were sent to the police custody.

The victim, Arun Pandey, resident of Rang Puri, had reportedly withdrawn money from the bank and on his return, four persons on two cycles asked for tobacco from him.

In the meantime, one whipped out a knife and threatened him to part with the money and asked him not to raise alarm.

When Arun gave the money, two went to a taxi stand with the money and the other two fled towards a kacha road on a cycle. When the victim raised an alarm, the PCR van stationed in the area rushed to the spot and chased the suspects and nabbed them.

A case has been registered against the four persons and further investigations are on to trace their associates.

Two die in mishaps:

Two persons died in separate accidents in the Capital today. In the first incident, a labourer lost his life when a pit he was digging to install internet cable caved in. Another person died in a cylinder blast, fire brigade officials said.

New Delhi, February 17
The North-West police have arrested an owner of a reputed travel agency in Rohini today and claimed to have solved more than 12 cases of motor vehicle thefts. The police also seized five stolen Maruti cars and an engine of a stolen Maruti from his possession. The suspect was found using these stolen vehicles to ferry tourists.

Acting on a tip off, the SI, Mr Dharmender Kumar, nabbed the tour operator, who was using the stolen vehicles to transport his customers. On sustained interrogation, he revealed that he used to steal vehicles from Shalimar Bagh, Rohini and Nangloi and change the number plates.

He had also installed CNG kits in the stolen cars. The police are hopeful of seizing more vehicles as he had confessed to have stolen more number of vehicles than have been seized already.

SHOW CASE
LCD monitor that acts as computer and television display terminal

Leveraging its leadership in high-performance computer display devices and cutting edge television innovation, Philips has unveiled its new 4-in-1 LCD display line combining a full featured computer monitor, cable-ready television receiver, video monitor and tele-text terminal in a single device. The multifunction line is currently included in the 15 to 18 inch models.

The new multifunction display devices are ready for web surfing, hardcore computing chores and viewing or editing digital photos. The resizable picture-in-picture display feature allows home users, small businesses and educators to keep an eye on a big televised game even while working.

Grip on shaving

Gillette has expanded its range of ready shavers with the launch of the premium Gillette BlueII Plus Ultra Grip – a revolutionary twin blade ready shaver.

The BlueII Plus delivers a closer smoother shave. This top-of-the-line ready shaver incorporates an ergonomically designed double component handle that delivers greater control and improved
maneuverability and platinum-coated twin blades that assure smoother and closer shave.

It also features an enriched lubrastrip for a smoother razor glide and reduced irritation while shaving.

Health soap

Hindustan Lever Limited has unveiled a new Lifebuoy mix, marking a turning point in the history of the brand. The new mix includes a new formulation and a repositioning of the brand to make the brand more relevant to both new and existing consumers.

Lifebuoy is no longer a carbolic soap with cresylic perfume. It is now a milled toilet soap with a new health fragrance. The new formulation has an ingredient, Active-B, which offers protection against germs, which cause stomach infection, eye infection and infections in cuts and bruises. The new health perfume has been selected after one of the most extensive perfume hunts in the industry.

The new milled formulation offers a significantly superior bathing experience and skin feel. The new formulation, new health perfume and superior skin feel, along with the popular red colour, have registered conclusive and clear preference among existing and new users.

Perfume for the moment

Chevignon has launched ‘Best of Chevignon’ of casual fragrance that is in sync with modern rhythms, and, at the same time, simple and fresh with the essential quality of a capacity for happiness.

It is a selection of the finest and most outstanding elements, whatever the field of human activity is. For the great moments marking and personalising our life, Best of Chevignon is the best of life as a fragrance and is a philosophy in itself.

It is in the heart of the today’s trend of lightness answering to the desire to use a perfume with which we feel fine, which is original and easy, discreet, long lasting and sensual as well.

Each individual can choose how to wear this fragrance, as a refreshing splash, as a body massage or as a cooling lotion, resulting in a veil of lingering scent, one that invites closeness and intimacy. The clean, refreshing fragrance has a liberating point of view and can be shared by everyone. It is a refreshing and intimate combination of brightness and sensuality, never intrusive.

For the big waists

Metro Marketing Company has launched a new range of premium cotton trousers, under the brand name Waistline, in the domestic market, which caters exclusively to oversized waistlines. This range is available only in the waist sizes of 38 inches to 56 inches.

No more tailor shops for perfect fits, ‘biggies’! Waistline has the right sizes for you. Waistline’s new range is bound to set a new trend in the trouser industry in the country.

The trousers are crafted out of high quality rich cotton fabric of leading mills of the country giving superior feel and finish to the garment and are available in Chinos and Wrinkle free that offers easy comfort, freedom of movement and wrinkle resistance like never before. The new luxurious line is available in a wide range of rich colours, which are in tune with the modern dressing.

Designer bathroom

Jaquar has introduced the world’s highly acclaimed Hansgrohe’s Axor range of bath fittings in the country. Axor from Hansgrohe of Germany fulfills the dream of a complete range of bathroom equipment - from designer mixers to choice accessories.

Axor means `golden water.’ And with Axor from Hansgrohe, a new golden age for bathroom design begins. All Axor lines are design masterpieces, carefully thought out and coordinated to the smallest detail.

Axor offers eight product lines, all exclusively designed by designers of world renown. They are Axor Allegroh, Azzur, Terrano, Steel, Starck, Arco, Mondaro, Carlton. Each line is unparalled in functionality and superbly impressive in form.

Mid-winter wear

Uni Style Image, a leading brand of premium casual garments, has launched a new range of mid-season winter wear. The new range complements its current range for the season with new style of sweatshirts, pullovers, jackets and polar fleece.

Conforming to the latest worldwide fashion trends, this range presents a wide variety of sweatshirts, pullovers, jackets and more, in various styles and colours. The mid-season range represents USI’s endeavour to not only develop styles and designs but also its ability to create more market opportunities with established segments. It seeks to introduce range within a range, which will help promote its slew of fashionable, trendy premium casuals and winter wear.